Box Score
Smithfield, R.I. - The Long Island University women's basketball team capped off its regular season by notching its eighth straight win, an 84-76 win in a foul-plagued contest at Bryant. Sophomore Kiara Evans led all players with a career-high 21 points.

 

The Blackbirds (20-9, 14-4 Northeast Conference) led by as many as 18 points in the second half but saw Bryant (13-16, 10-8) narrow its deficit to six points midway through the final period. Long Island immediately pushed its advantage back to double digits, but things got dicey late.

 

After the teams traded baskets over several minutes of play, Bryant's Danielle Douglas had a chance to pull her team within seven points, but split a pair of free throws to cut the Blackbird lead to 77-69. When Long Island tried to get the ball back in play, the Bulldogs ratcheted up the pressure and almost forced a turnover but the ball went out of bounds off a Bryant player. With 90 seconds left to play, the Bulldogs were forced to foul. Long Island hit seven of eight tries from the charity stripe in the closing minutes to secure the win.

 

In the first half, Long Island jumped out to an early double-digit lead, setting a quick pace from the tap. For the fourth straight game, Evans, the point guard, won the jump ball, setting up a quick three-pointer for herself. After junior Heidi Mothershead hit her second trey of the contest, the Blackbirds led 16-6. Long Island kept the pedal down and extended the advantage to 24-11 when sophomore Ashley Palmer barreled in from the wing for a whirling, left-handed layup.

 

The Bulldogs cut their deficit to nine points on three occasions in the first frame, but Long Island went on an 8-0 mini-run, featuring six free throws, to allow its lead to blossom to 17 points. Freshman Krystal Wells put away her fourth straight foul shot to give the Blackbirds a 40-23 edge. During that span, Long Island kept Bryant off the scoreboard for four minutes. The Bulldogs went without a field goal for a six-minute stretch, but managed to whittle the Long Island lead down to 46-34 at the half.

 

Evans went 11-for-15 from the foul line en route to her 21 points, adding a career-high two three-pointers and six rebounds. Senior Connie James finished with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds and Palmer closed with 15 points. She was 11-for-13 from the free-throw line. Siamone Bennett's 18 points and 10 boards led Bryant.

 

The Blackbird's 84 points were the most scored by Long Island this season. The 14 conference wins stand as the second-highest total for the Blackbirds. Long Island went 15-3 in NEC action during the 2006-07 season.

 

Long Island will head into the NEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will begin play in the quarterfinals against No. 7 Quinnipiac on Saturday, March 6 in Loretto, Pa. Saint Francis (Pa.) will host the first two rounds of the tournament. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.